[Adopted 12-2-2002 by Ord. No. 1118-02]
[1]
Editor's Note: The title of this article was changed from
"Kennel, Pet Shop, Shelter and Pound Licensing" to "Kennel, Pet Shop,
Animal Shelter or Pound" 5-18-2015 by Ord. No. 1499-15.
Any person who keeps or operates or proposes
to establish a kennel, a pet shop, a shelter or a pound shall apply
to the Township Clerk or other official designated to license dogs
in the Township for a license entitling him, her or it to keep or
operate such establishment.
The application shall describe the premises
where the establishment is located or is proposed to be located, the
purpose or purposes for which it is to be maintained, and shall be
accompanied by the written approval of the Cape May County Department
of Health showing compliance with the Township and state rules and
regulations governing location of and sanitation at such establishments.
Each license issued for a kennel, pet shop,
shelter or pound shall state the purpose for which the establishment
is maintained, and all such licenses shall expire on the last day
of June of each year, and be subject to revocation by the Township
on recommendation of the State Department of Health and Senior Services
or the Township Board of Health for failure to comply with the rules
and regulations of the State Department or Township Board governing
the same, after the owner has been afforded a hearing by either the
State Department or Township Board, except as provided below.
Any person or entity holding such license shall
not be required to secure individual licenses for dogs owned by such
licensee and kept at such establishments; such licenses shall not
be transferable to another owner or different premises.
The license for a pet shop shall be subject
to review by the Township upon recommendation by the State Department
of Health and Senior Services or the local Board of Health for failure
by the pet shop to comply with the rules and regulations of the State
Department or Township Board of Health governing pet shops or if the
pet shop meets the criteria for recommended suspension or revocation,
after the owner of the pet shop has been afforded a hearing.
The Township, based on the criteria for the
recommendation of the Township Board of Health provided under Subsections
c and d of sections 5 of P.L. 1999, c. 336 (N.J.S.A. 56:8-96), may
suspend the license for 90 days or may revoke the license if it is
determined at the hearing that the pet shop failed to maintain proper
hygiene and exercise reasonable care in safeguarding the health of
animals in its custody or sold a substantial number of animals that
the pet shop knew, or reasonably should have known, to be unfit for
purchase.
The Township may issue a license for a pet shop
that permits the pet shop to sell pet supplies for all types of animals,
including cats and dogs, and sell animals other than cats and dogs
but restricts the pet shop from selling cats or dogs, or both.
Every pet shop licensed in the Township shall
submit annually, and no later that May 1 of each year, records of
the total number of cats and dogs, respectively, sold by the pet shop
each year to the Township Clerk.
The annual fee for a kennel providing accommodations
for 10 or less dogs shall be $10 and for more than 10 dogs shall be
$25. The annual license fee for a pet shop shall be $10. No fee shall
be charged for a shelter or pound.
